Using her impressive LinkedIn Profile, however, the conversation was easy – there was so much material to work with! Erika is currently the Event and Volunteer Manager at Rainier Scholars, whose mission fits perfectly with Erika’s passion. She summed up her job this way: “I work at Rainier Scholars because I believe in addressing inequities, and they do a great job of walking alongside amazing students and helping them to succeed.”I was grateful to snag 2019 co-Chair of the Advancement Northwest Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA) Committee, Erika Chen, for a quick chat – though she was reluctant to have a conversation. She said, quietly, “I’m an introvert.”

Originally from Montrose, NY (a small community in Westchester County), Erika grew up in a predominantly white community. As a high school Senior, she used a decision matrix – yes, really – to figure out that diversity was a critical value for her. This realization led her to the University of Miami in Florida, where she was graduated with a business degree. Erika lived in Florida for four years after college, developing fundraising skills with Platinum Fundraising: “I realized the part I loved about my job was working with my non-profit clients, so I moved to Seattle to get my MPA at the Evans School, as well as a certificate in non-profit management.”

Written by Christina Chang, University of Washington, Office of Advancement

There are so many great reasons to attend the Forum. One is the community – the opportunity to connect and reconnect with colleagues from all different sectors in our region. The second is the learning. No matter how many years I have been in fundraising, I always walk away with nuggets of ideas or ways to improve my craft. Finally, the Forum is a wonderful place to connect with fundraisers actively seeking a new position. See you there!

– Sharon Hurt, The Bush School

Meet the 2019 Advancement Board

Earlier this week, the 2019 new board members and officers were voted in at the Winter Social and Annual Meeting. Welcome to the new board members!

Thaddeus Teo, Donor Relations Manager/Major Gifts Officer, United Way of King County

You can learn about the current Board members by visiting our website. Information will be added about the new members in January.

Member Voices

I've been an AFP mentor several times and truly enjoyed the experience each time. It's energizing to get to know – and hopefully offer some helpful information to – some of our chapter's newer members. I think I get as much value out of the relationship as they do!